The Connecticut Sun recently extended a core qualifying offer to Alyssa Thomas, a restricted qualifying offer to DiJona Carrington and a reserved qualifying offer to Caitlin Bickle. On Tuesday, Bickle signed a training camp contract with the Sun, per WNBA.com.
Bickle played in only eight games during the 2024 WNBA season with Connecticut. She averaged only 1.9 minutes per outing during that span as well, and she did not score a point. Still, Bickle could make things interesting for the Sun if she plays well during the preseason.
Connecticut will have some changes for the new season. They are set to have a new head coach, and could look to make some roster additions. The Sun want to make another deep postseason run, but surpassing teams such as the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces may be difficult.
Bickle, who attended Baylor, displayed signs of stardom during her college basketball career. She enjoyed her best season in her final campaign with the team, as Bickle averaged 11.9 points per game on 50.2 percent field goal and 38.2 percent three-point shooting. Bickle also averaged 7.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per outing.
If Bickle makes an impact in the preseason, the Sun will likely consider giving her more minutes in 2025. She will have plenty of work to do, however.
Sun trying to bounce back after difficult WNBA postseason defeat
The Sun fell just short of clinching a WNBA Finals appearance in 2024. They pushed the semifinals to a Game 5 against the Minnesota Lynx, but the Lynx ultimately emerged victorious. It was unquestionably an exciting series, however, and the Lynx could realistically compete once again in 2025.
Connecticut will need no shortage of depth to go along with their star-power, though. As a result, a signing such as Caitlin Bickle is important, although it will not make too many headlines. In the end, though, the Sun's success begins with their stars.
If Alyssa Thomas plays at an MVP-caliber level once again, Connecticut should at least be able to make a respectable amount of noise in the standings. It remains to be seen if the Sun will make any additions in free agency. If they are able to enhance the roster, the potential WNBA playoff picture for 2025 will get especially intriguing.
At the moment, though, Connecticut's focus is on preparing for free agency and the 2025 season.